Cutting the cord, saving money, and pondering Hulu device restrictions.

So, my wife and I finally got around to canceling our cable and switching to streaming only on services such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, and Hulu Plus. It's not for people who like to watch shows the minute they air, but the amount we are saving is now reaching the level of ridiculous, ludicrous, or you could even say:

Netflix and Amazon are great services with large catalogs of old (or at least two seasons behind) TV series and movies. For me, Amazon Free Instant Video is just a side bonus of the free two-day shipping on everything I order, but they do have Stargate (which Netflix doesn't have for some reason). I can talk endlessly about how awesome Netlfix is but if you want to watch current TV shows in season (and legally), Hulu Plus is the way to go.

Hulu is a very good service with "limited commercial interruptions" since all the TV networks have negotiated with advertisers to get more eyeballs on product ads. Though, it would be nice if there were no commercials, it would probably cost much more to have such a diverse catalog of current TV series.

Overall it's a great service with one major annoyance: device restrictions. You can get the Hulu Plus app for your Droid, iPhone, PlayStation 3, Wii, etc., etc., ad nauseum, but you may find that some shows will say "Web Only." If you look at their FAQ for the question "Why Can't I View Certain Shows on My Device?" you will see this answer:

"At this time, certain shows offered on the free Hulu.com service are not available through Hulu Plus mobile and TV devices. The rights required to stream content to devices differ from those required to stream content to computers, so you may find that some of your favorite shows on Hulu are only available for viewing from a computer. We work constantly with our partners to try to secure more content, and they've been great about reaching into their vaults on our behalf. Hulu Plus includes hundreds of shows, some of which haven't been available online before, and full runs of many of them."

 
So, you've made it so that I can't watch a show on my PlayStation 3, so what am I gonna do? Maybe I'll be so frustrated that I'll just call my local cable company and demand that they bring me cable again so that I can just watch the show when it airs? Maybe I'll just buy it on iTunes or some other service so I can pay more for content than I was paying before? What will I do?

I'll just turn on my computer, which is hooked up to my TV (just like my PS3) and watch the show through the website. So, what is so difficult about the device negotiations? Apparently, it all comes down to networks trying to negotiate for a bigger piece of the revenue pie. For every device Hulu adds compatibility for, networks would ask for an additional chunk of money for their shows. Rather than pay more money for newer content, they have decided just to make some content available only through their website. Maybe someday we'll have no device restrictions and I can watch any show on any device without commercial interruptions. In the end, the service saves enough money to be worth a few inconveniences.